Roving frame drive



y 15, 1967 J. COSTNER 3,319,413

ROVING FRAME DRIVE Filed Oct. 21, 1965 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JACKSON Cosmea J B mmo a aw w ATTORNEYS y 16, 1967 J. COSTNER 3,319,413

ROVING FRAME DRIVE Filed Oct. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5' F11 F 25 INVENTOR:

JACKSON Cosme? ATTORNEYS United States Fateht G F 3,319,413 ROVING FRAME DRIVE Jackson Costner, Bessemer City, N.C., assignor to Ideal Industries, Inc., Bessemer City, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,653 9 Claims. (Cl. 57-102) This invention relates generally to an improved drive for textile machines, such as roving or fly frames, and more particularly to an improved driving connection with the bolster pinion and the flyer spindle pinion.

As is well known, the bolster pinions and gears, as well as the flyer spindle pinions and gears of a conventional roving frame, are each formed of metal. During operation of the roving frame, these gears and pinions make a great deal of noise as they are rotated at high speed to impart rotation to the bobbins and flyers. Also, the intermeshing metal pinions and gears build up a considerable amount of heat, which makes them harder to keep properly lubricated.

The bolster drive gears and the spindle drive gears are of a one-piece construction and supported at spaced apart positions on corresponding drive shafts that extend along opposite sides of the roving frame. Therefore, when it is necessary to exchange one of the gears, the gears must be loosened and the drive shaft slipped out at one end so that the gear to be exchanged can be removed. After the gear is replaced, the drive shaft is slipped back into position and then each of the gears must be realigned in proper mating relationship with its corresponding pinion before it is tightened in position on the drive shaft.

The problem of facilitating gear replacement has been recognized for a long period of time, as evidenced by United States Patent No. 596,947 which discloses a split gear assembly. As far as it can be determined, this split gear assembly is not being commercialized and never has been. The reason for this is believed to be the complex nature of the assembly and the attendant cost of manufacture, as well as the apparent lack of rigidity.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a main object of the present invention to provide improved means for drivingly connecting the roving frame drive shafts to the bolster drive pinions and spindle drive pinions which substantially reduces the amount of noise, substantially reduces the amount of heat built up, and makes it possible to exchange a broken or worn gear without removing the drive shaft or disturbing the intermeshing relationship of the remaining pinions and gears.

To carry out this main object, split gears are spaced along the drive shaft and positioned in driving engagement with the pinions so that a worn or broken gear may be easily replaced without disturbing the intermeshing relationship of the remaining pinions and their corresponding gears on the drive shafts. In order to reduce the noise level and prevent the build up of heat the split gear components are formed of a suitable plastic, such as phenolic formaldehyde.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide split gears of the type described wherein a metal hub is adjustably mounted on the drive shaft and removably supports the plastic gear components and wherein each component of the split gear is provided with an integrally formed boss portion and the support hub is formed with an annular recess adapted to receive the boss portion of the gear therein to aid in maintaining the gear components aligned and in proper intermeshing relationship with the pinions.

It is another specific object of the present invention to provide a split gear of the type described that can be economically molded or cast in a single piece with a transversely extending groove or score formed therein so 3,319,413 Patented May 16, 1967 that the gear components can be easily broken apart along the score before they are used.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the lower portion of one side of a roving frame and illustrating the driving means for the bobbin bolster and flyer drive spindles;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the lower portion of the roving frame, looking inwardly at the left-hand side of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view looking at the front face of the molded bolster drive gear, before it is broken apart;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but looking at the rear face of the bolster drive gear and showing the integrally formed score or groove extending transversely thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional view taken generally along the line 55 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is an exploded isometric view of the bolster drive split gear, looking in the direction of the arrow 6 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is an isometric view of the split gear hub, looking at the opposite face from that shown in FIG- URE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the spindle drive gear;

FIGURE 9 is an elevational view of the rear face of the spindle drive gear;

FIGURE 10 is an exploded isometric view of the spindle drive split gear, looking in the direction of the arrow 10 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 11 is a vertical sectional view through the split gear showing how the split gear components are secured to the hub;

FIGURE 12 is a View similar to FIGURE 11 but showing how the positioning pins of the hub fit into the split gear components.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the present invention is shown in combination with the drive means of a conventional type roving or fly frame and only those portions of the roving frame are shown in FIGURES l and 2 which are necessary to an understanding of the present invention. The roving frame includes intermediate support frames 10 on which an upper bolster rail 11 and a lower spindle rail 12 are supported. Although only a fragmentary portion of one side of the roving frame is shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, it is to be understood that the bolster rail 11 and the spindle rail 12 extend longitudinally along both sides of the roving frame.

R=otatable bolsters 13 are suitably supported for rotation along opposite sides of the bolster rail 11 and arranged in staggered relationship to support bobbins 14 thereon. Bolster drive pinions 15 are carried by each bolster 13 and a flyer drive spindle 16 extends upwardly through each of the bolster pinions 15. The lower end of the flyer drive spindle 16 has a spindle drive pinion 17 fixed thereto. Bolster drive shafts 20 are suitably supported adjacent opposite sides of the bolster rail 11 and have bolster drive gears, broadly indicated at 21, positioned therealong and in driving engagement with each of the bolster drive pinions 15. Spindle drive shafts 22 are suitably supported adjacent opposite sides of the spindle rail 12 and have spindle drive gears, broadly indicated at 23, positioned therealong and in driving engagement with each of the spindle drive pinions 17.

In the conventional roving frame, the pinions 15, 17 as well as the drive gears 21, 23 are formed of metal and in 3 some cases they are bevel gears. The drive gears 21, 23 are usually of a onepiece construction having an integral hub. As has been pointed out, the drive shafts 211 and 22 extend continuously along each side of the roving frame so that when the gears 21, 23 are initially placed on the shafts, they must be placed on one end thereof and slipped along the shafts until they are properly positioned in driving engagement with their respective pinion-s 15, 17, at which time, they are then fixed to the shafts 20, 22 by set screws or the like. When the teeth of one or more of the drive gears 21, 23 become worn or broken and must be replaced, it is necessary in many cases to completely remove the corresponding drive shaft, remove all of the gears from one end until the gear to be replaced can be removed, replace the shaft, and then realign all of the drive gears with their pinions. This is a time consuming and costly operation because of the length of time that the machine remains out of production.

As has also been mentioned, the metal drive gears and pinions running together build up heat which is retained in the gears. This retained heat makes it difficult to maintain the proper amount of lubricant on the gears since the heat has a tendency to evaporate any lubricant placed on the gears. Also, the metal pinions and gears running together create a great deal of noise in the mill.

In accordance with the present invention, the holster drive gear 21 (FIGURE 3) and spindle drive gear 23 (FIGURE 4) are constructed in such a manner as to overcome the disadvantages of the conventional metal gears. Because the bolster pinion 15 is offset, relative to the vertical center of the drive gear 21 (FIGURE 1) while the spindle pinion 17 is centered, relative to the vertical center of the drive gear 23, the drive gears 21, 23 are constructed in a slightly different manner, as will be presently described.

Generally, the drive gears 21, 23 are each formed of non-metallic plastic material and cast or molded in such a manner that they may be easily split transversely to provide two gear halves or components. The split gear components are removably secured to a single-piece hub which is positioned on the respective drive shafts. The hub includes a shouldered recess that is adapted to receive and hold boss portions formed on the gear components to aid.

in maintaining the gear components in alignment with each other and with the corresponding pinion.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 3 through 5, gear 21 is a helical face gear initially molded or cast in a single piece and formed of non-metallic plastic material, such as phenolic formaldehyde, with portions of a suitable type of reinforcing fabric embedded therein. As best shown in FIGURE 3, each of the gear teeth extend along a respective chord of the gear in. the usual manner of a helical type face drive gear to mate with the helical teeth of the pinion 15. A transverse groove or score 24 extends across the gear 21 (FIGURES 4 and The score 24 is V-shaped in cross section and the bottom terminates closely adjacent the front face of the gear so that it may be easily broken apart t-herealong to provide two halves or components 21a, 21!) (FIGURE 6).

The score 2 1 extends outwardly along radius lines from a central bore 25 and then parallel with the valley between adjacent teeth so that the gears will be broken between the teeth. In the drive gear 21 shown there are thirty-seven teeth and the score 24 has been formed so that the half 21a contains nineteen teeth While the half 2111 contains eighteen teeth. When the gear 21 is broken along the. score 24, the tWo halves have narrow ragged edges adja-. cent the front face which may be easily removed by run-- ning them along a sanding belt or buffer.

The rear face of the gear 21 hasan integrally formed outwardly extending respective boss 26 whichforms boss portions 26a, 2612 when the gear is broken apart. Screw holes 27 and. guide pin receiving bores 28 are formed around the bore 25 in the gear 21 for purposes to be presently described.

The spindle drive gear 23, also of the face type (FIG- URES 8-10) is also initially molded of plastic material in one piece like the bolster drive gear 21. However, the spindle drive gear 23 has teeth which extend on the face along radius lines and it is shown with twenty-seven teeth. The transverse score 30 extends outwardly from the bore 31 and along the valley between the gear teeth so that the gear 23 may be broken apart along the score 30 to provide one gear half 23a with fourteen teeth and another gear half 23b with thirteen teeth. An integrally formed boss 32 extends outwardly from the rear face of the gear 23 and screw holes 33 and guide pin receiving bores 34 are formed therein.

A hub 35 (FIGURES 6 and 7) is provided to support both the split gears 21 and the split gears 23. The hub 35 is preferably formed of metal, such as aluminum, and has an integrally formed annular flange 36. An annular recess 37 (FIGURE 7) is formed in the flange 36 to provide outer and inner shoulders at opposite sides thereof. Threaded screw receiving holes 38 are provided in the flange 36 (FIGURES 6, 7 and 10) and guide pins 39 are fixed at one end in the flange 36 (FIGURES 7 and 12). A set screw 35a is threadably supported in the hub 35 (FIGURE 11) to adjustably support the same on the drive shaft 20.

The split gears 21 and 23 are attached to and held on the hubs 35 in an identical manner. Therefore, only the split gear 21 is shown attached to the hub 35 in FIGURES 11 and 12. The two halves of the gear 21 are fitted to the hub 35 and around the bolster drive shaft 20 so that the guide pins 39 extend into the bores 28 (FIGURE 12) and then the screws 41) (FIGURE 11) are passed through the holes 27 and threaded into the holes 38 in the flange 36 of the hub 35 to hold the halves of the split gear 21 in position thereon. The bore 25 fits around the inner shoulder of the recess 37 and the outer portion of the boss 26 fits against the outer shoulder of the recess 37 to aid in maintaining the halves of the split gear 21 in the proper position on the hub.

As best shown in FIGURES 11 and 12, the greatest diameter of the hub 35, as defined by its annular flange 36, is substantially the same as the diameter of a circle defined by the inner portions of the teeth of the gear 23. Thus, the gear components 23a, 23b are supported throughout a substantial portion of their outward extent and the hub 35 provides a substantial back-up plate therefor to lend substantial rigidity thereto.

If the teeth of any of the split gears 21 or 23 become worn or broken, the gear may be replaced by simply removing the screws 40 so that the gear halves can be removed and replaced. After the new gear halves are secured in position on the hub, the set screw 35a may be loosened to move the hub 35 and realign the split gear with the corresponding pinion, if necessary. In addition to reducing the noise level and making it easier to replace Worn or broken gears, heat is more easily dissipated from the plastic split gears so that lubricant will remain thereon for much longer periods of time.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a roving frame having a plurality of bobbins, a bolster supporting each bobbin, 3. metal bolster drive pinion carried by each bolster, and a bolster drive shaft supported adjacent said bolster drive pinions, the combination therewith of improved means for drivingly connecting said bolster drive shaft to said bolster drive pinions, said improved drive means comprising (a) a plastic gearpositioned in driving engagement :witheach of said bolster drive pinions, each of said gears being transversely split into two juxtaposed side-by-side parts so that the same may be placed around and removed from said drive shaft,

(b) a hub including a flange positioned adjacent each of said bolster drive pinions and fixed on said bolster drive shaft, and

(c) means penetrating said flanges and said plastic split gears for removably securing the split gears to said hubs with the two parts of the split gears be ing held in said juxtaposed side-by-side relationship whereby worn or broken split gears may be replaced without disturbing the relationship of the remaining split gears with their pinion.

2. In a roving frame having a plurality of bobbins, a bolster supporting each bobbin, a flyer spindle supported for rotation in each of said bolsters, a metal flyer spindle drive pinion carried by each flyer spindle, and a spindle drive shaft supported adjacent said spindle drive pinions, the combination therewith of improved means for drivingly connecting said spindle drive shaft to said spindle drive pinions, said improved drive means comprising (a) a plastic gear positioned in driving engagement with each of said spindle drive pinions, each of said gears being transversely split into two juxtaposed side-byside parts so that the same may be placed around and removed from said drive shaft,

(b) a hub including a flange positioned adjacent each of said spindle drive pinions and fixed on said spindle drive shaft, and

(c) means penetrating said flanges and said plastic split gears for removably securing the split gears to said hubs with the two parts of the split gears being held in said juxtaposed side-by-side relationship whereby worn or broken split gears may be replaced without disturbing the relationship of the remaining split gears with their pinions.

3. In a roving frame having a plurality of bobbins, a bolster supporting each bobbin, a metal bolster drive pinion carried by each bolster, a flyer spindle supported for rotation in each of said bolsters, a metal flyer spindle drive pinion carried by each flyer spindle, and bolster and spindle drive shafts supported adjacent the respective bolster drive pinions and spindle drive pinions, the combination therewith of improved means for drivingly con necting said bolster and spindle drive shafts to said respective bolster drive pinions and spindle drive pinions, said improved drive means comprising (a) a plastic gear positioned in driving engagement with each of said bolster drive pinions and spindle drive pinions, each of said gears being transversely split into two juxtaposed sideby-side parts so that the same may be placed around and removed from said drive shafts,

(b) a hub including a flange positioned adjacent each of said bolster drive pinions and each of said spindle drive pinions and fixed on said bolster and spindle drive shafts, and

(0) means penetrating said flanges and said plastic split gears for removably securing the split gears to said hubs with the two parts of the split gears being held in said juxtaposed side-by-side relationship whereby worn or broken split gears may be replaced without 6 disturbing the relationship of the remaining split gears with their pinions.

4. In a structure according to claim 3 wherein said hubs are of one-piece construction and wherein said flange is annular and integrally formed with the hub, and wherein said means (c) includes screws connecting said plastic split gear parts to said annular flange of the hub.

5. In a structure according to claim 3 including guide pins supported in said hub, and guide pin receiving bores in said gear parts for properly aligning and positioning said gear parts on said hub.

6. In a structure according to claim 3 wherein each part of each of said split gears includes an integrally formed boss having an outer shoulder thereon, and wherein said flange of each of said hubs is annular and has an annular recess providing outer and inner shoulders, the outer shoulder of the annular recess in said flange being in engagement with the outer shoulder of said boss and aiding in maintaining the parts of said split gear properly aligned on said hub.

7. In a roving frame according to claim 1, wherein each of the split plastic gears is a helical face gear with each of the teeth thereof extending along a respective chord of the gear, and whereine ach of the gears is transversely split al-ong diametrically opposed radial lines extending for a predetermined distance from the axis of the gear with the remainder of the split extending along chords of the gear in the valleys between adjacent pairs of teeth on opposite sides of the gear.

8. In a roving frame according to claim 3, wherein each of said split plastic gears in driving engagement with said bolster drive pinion is of the helical face type with each of the teeth thereof extending along a respective chord of the gear, and wherein each of the gears is transversely split along diametrically opposed radial lines extending for a predetermined distance from the axis of the gear with the remainder of the split extending along chords of the gear in the valleys between adjacent pairs of teeth on opposite sides of the gear, and wherein each of said split plastic gears positioned in driving engagement with the spindle drive pinions is of the face type wherein the teeth extend along radial lines on the face of the gear.

9. In a roving frame according to claim 8, wherein the transverse split in each of said last-named gears extends along non-diametrically opposed radial lines.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 596,947 1/189 8 Schofield 74-448 1,235,734 8/1917 Stange 74-443 1,717,343 6/1929 Martin 57-102 2,429,008 10/ 1947 Wolfe 74-450 2,551,210 5/1951 Goodgame 57-102 2,683,380 7/1951 Hutton 74-450 2,753,731 7/ 1956 McWethy 74-443 3,013,440 12/ 1961 White 74-446 3,106,101 10/ 1963 Harriman 74-450 3,199,364 8/1965 Dew 74-443 FRANK I. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

D. E. WATKINS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A ROVING FRAME HAVING A PLURALITY OF BOBBINS, A BOLSTER SUPPORTING EACH BOBBIN, A METAL BOLSTER DRIVE PINION CARRIED BY EACH BOLSTER, AND A BOLSTER DRIVE SHAFT SUPPORTED ADJACENT SAID BOLSTER DRIVE PINIONS, THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF IMPROVED MEANS FOR DRIVINGLY CONNECTING SAID BOLSTER DRIVE SHAFT TO SAID BOLSTER DRIVE PINIONS, SAID IMPROVED DRIVE MEANS COMPRISING (A) A PLASTIC GEAR POSITIONED IN DRIVING ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OF SAID BOLSTER DRIVE PINIONS, EACH OF SAID GEARS BEING TRANSVERSELY SPLIT INTO TWO JUXTAPOSED SIDE-BY-SIDE PARTS SO THAT THE SAME MAY BE PLACED AROUND AND REMOVED FROM SAID DRIVE SHAFT, (B) A HUB INCLUDING A FLANGE POSITIONED ADJACENT EACH OF SAID BOLSTER DRIVE PINIONS AND FIXED ON SAID BOLSTER DRIVE SHAFT, AND (C) MEANS PENETRATING SAID FLANGES AND SAID PLASTIC SPLIT GEARS FOR REMOVABLY SECURING THE SPLIT GEARS TO SAID HUBS WITH THE TWO PARTS OF THE SPLIT GEARS BEING HELD IN SAID JUXTAPOSED SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP WHEREBY WORN OR BROKEN SPLIT GEARS MAY BE REPLACED WITHOUT DISTRIBUTING THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE REMAINING SPLIT GEARS WITH THEIR PINION. 